I'm a current student at CTC (ground school) and would just like to voice my impression so far...
I am disappointed. Very disappointed, actually.
Considering the amount of money I have paid, there has been a major shortfall in many aspects from administration to the actual teaching itself.
To begin with, the accommodation myself and my colleagues have been placed in is very far from the school (>20km) in an area that literally has nothing around it with a bus to Southampton central costing me £6 and taking an hour. For non-drivers like myself, this has placed me extremely demotivated and unhappy with unnecessary expenses that I honestly did not foresee. I often have to walk a mile just to get to a small supermarket. Southampton has an abundance of accommodation at very reasonable prices (esp. compared to London) and when you consider the amount of money we are throwing at CTC, this is disappointing. There are other intakes who are much closer to the school, but when approaching management, I was indirectly told that 'we can't please everyone' and that 'just bear with it for only 5 months and then you'll be able to relax in NZ'. BS.
The teaching has also been disappointing. Despite the 9-5 intensive approach we were told to expect (due to finishing a 12 month course in 5 months), this has never happened. In fact, as I write this, I have been on a 2.5 hour lunch and regularly have 45min tea breaks too. This results in me having to learn extra in my own time BUT with an hour commuting to-and-from my accommodation every day, squeezing in a gym workout wherever I can, it's even more difficult.
I have also heard from students who are currently in New Zealand, that they only find out if they're going to be flying the next day at 4pm the day before. Some students have said that they have been up to TWO WEEKS waiting for their next training flight and only finding out only at 4pm every day. Therefore, time where they could've done their own thing or, even better, reduced the amount of time overall in NZ, is literally sent down the sink. Plus the personal expenses they need to spend every day (food, etc) it all adds up unnecessarily. Apparently, the instructors are also upset about this as even THEY believe this is very poorly managed and could easily be avoided with better planning (and no, it has nothing to do with weather, it's just bad management). This is probably a direct result of the numbers game that CTC plays these days with the massive churning of $tud€nt$ and inability to accommodate them all. It's only £100k after all.
So yes. This morning I have already picked up my 20 page contract and looking into 'Termination of Agreement' and what my rights are. Sad, but true. Hopefully it won't lead to that, but at the moment, given the impression and attention I've had so far, it might just have to be a 10k first installment I'll just have to painfully write off and kick myself for stupidly spending.
And I'm still waiting for my lecture to get back from his "30min admin task"...Oops he just walked in (2h55min later)